The Brill Building and Snap Filter Out Cancer in New Campaign

Lung cancer continues to claim more lives annually, among both men and women, than any other cancer, with 1,850 people dying from the disease in Ireland each year. However new research, compiled for the charity by Empathy reveals that less than one third of the population (29%) feel they know the signs and symptoms to watch out for in relation to lung cancer, while more than a third of adults (36%) admit that not being aware of the symptoms of lung cancer would deter them from getting symptoms checked.

Today, as International Lung Cancer Awareness Month begins, the Marie Keating Foundation, one of the leading voices in Ireland for early detection, claims it doesn’t have to be this way, and is  calling on the Government, stakeholders and the public to ‘change how we see lung cancer’. 

The Marie Keating Foundation is renewing pressure on the Government to introduce a national lung cancer screening programme, similar to existing breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening, to help save lives. Research conducted with Empathy Research reveals huge public support for this with almost three quarters (72%) of adults saying they would be likely to participate in a lung cancer screening programme, with people’s intention to do so increasing with age.

Marie Keating Foundation CEO Liz Yeates said:: “More people in Ireland, both men and women, die from lung cancer than from any other cancer and these rates are set to increase exponentially by 2040. Without a national lung screening programme, we are missing the opportunity to catch lung cancer before it is too late. This will equate to more lives lost. We have to look at the evidence and respond to the many calls to implement lung cancer screening to improve earlier diagnosis of lung cancer in Ireland.” 

Without a national lung screening programme, the patient’s own instincts that something may be wrong and their understanding of signs and symptoms is the difference between them seeking medical attention when new treatments will be most effective, and being diagnosed too late.

For 2023, The Big Check Up campaign to help change how we see lung cancer is harnessing mobile technology, social media and a cross-generational call to action to address this. In an innovative move, The Marie Keating Foundation has partnered with mobile messaging app Snapchat to develop a new screen filter highlighting key lung cancer signs and symptoms. When used, the new AR filter displays information on lung cancer indicators to watch out for. The charity hopes to engage with a wider audience through the use of the innovative technology which invites users to encourage anyone they know with possible symptoms, including a cough that lingers for more than three weeks, to get checked.

They are calling on a younger generation to use the tool to increase understanding and awareness in parents, grandparents and their friends. By increasing awareness of signs and symptoms in a younger generation, they are encouraging them to educate and inform their parents, grandparents and friends. We know this generation often engages them playing on filters on the app, so it's a perfect way to use a tool that didn't exist previously to reach the audience in a new and interactive way.  We know the younger generation often engages the older generation playing on filters on the app, so it's a perfect way to use a tool that didn't exist previously to reach the audience in a new and interactive way.

Supporting the campaign, Paul Gleeson, senior Snapchat client partner at Aleph (Snapchat's official reseller and representative in Ireland) commented, “Snapchat Ireland are excited to partner with The Brill Building to bring the MKF campaign to life though the power of futuristic augmented reality. Our reputation as the happiest platform in the world and advanced AR capabilities will dovetail perfectly in raising awareness around this important subject. Our 2.3M Irish users are attentive and informed, and we’re looking forward to seeing each of them inject their own personality and meaning into this innovative AR experience.”

Created by The Brill Building team of creative lead Peter Snodden and project lead Sorcha Hanratty with ECD Roisin Keown and the PR from The Brill Building’s Maria Rolston, the activation and campaign includes radio, video, print and social. This year’s campaign keeps the imagery from the 2022 The First Poster To Catch Lung Cancer, a marketing innovation that has been awarded at Ireland’s EFFIE, ICADS, DMAs and AIM awards and won Ireland’s first International Gerety award.

Peter Snodden, creative director, The Brill Building said, “For this year’s campaign, we wanted to continue the principle we’ve developed with the team at Marie Keating Foundation for lung cancer awareness which is ‘innovate to action’. With ‘Filter Out Lung Cancer’ we are able to educate on the wider range of signs and symptoms and using new mainstream technologies like Snap to spread the word in ways we couldn’t have previously while continuing to give the charity a platform to petition government for urgent action on a national lung screening programme”